Mostly I don’t worry either. But I have one fussy keg with a slight dent in its lip. Sometimes it takes a liberal application of lube, a little magic, and more than a few swear words to get the lid to seal. Afterwards it’s a bugger to clean.

Drink beer, try hard to taste it. Even if it’s not yours, it’s still research for future recipes and how to make your current one better.

Let the significant other know that at some point there will be an “incident” involving a mess on the stove, in the pantry, in the fireplace, on the ceiling, etc. Also let her (or him) know that her (or his) nylon stockings may be repurposed for dry hopping and your family soup pot may soon be called “mash tun” or “hot liquor tank”. You may also want to start drafting your explanation as to why you really do need three (or more) refrigerators, a wondrous thingy called a “keezer” in a prominent location in your living quarters, a Barbie doll tap handle, and why you absolutely have to brew three weekends in a row so you can have enuf beer ready for Groundhog’s Day even tho it’s six months away.

What would be the problem with waiting until you turn the flame off completely and then adding the extract? Your hops are done boiling and the extract will start the chilling process. Even if it drops 15-20 degrees, that is well above pasteurization temps.

0 min hops? Before, during, or after the extract add? If before, how long until they’re removed, then the extract added. If during they're in the way, a PITA. After they're (allegedly) cheated 20 degrees worth of hop oil extraction and (possibly) some extraction time. So if after, return to boil first?. Relax, etc, etc?

Wont only adding half of the extract at the beginning of of your boil throw your hop bitterness off drastically? i was under the impression that extract brewing required something like 3* the hops because of sugar concentration during the boil. Do you adjust for this or does it just work itself out?

That's the point of putting in half the extract later -- lower the sugar concentration during the boil to "normal" levels so that hop utilization occurs at the same rate as it would with a full volume boil.

. . . hop utilization, color development, melanoidin formation, and whatever other mojo happens in the boil. The concept is to provide boil conditions that mimic a full volume boil as closely as possible.

. . .all that being said, does it become a problem to interrupt the boil? by the time i drop in my IC and add another 3ish pounds of extract, my wort temp has dropped 15-20 degrees. should i return it to boiling before i continue my hop timers? or just continue on business as usual?

I haven’t found a brilliant way to do the late extract additions. I’ve found that it’s possible to maintain the boil if you add extract a little at a time near the end. Like adding LME slowly, stirring constantly over the last 10-15 minutes. Too much work for me, and I worry about scorching. Same with DME which seems to have less temperature impact, but it clumps like crazy, so lots of stirring, aka work.

I’d suggest whatever feels best to you, and to repeat the same thing for a few batches. Then if you think you’re consistently not getting enuf hop goodness (or too much), adjust up (or down) until you find a sweet spot for your process.

Personally, I do mostly malt forward beers that don’t have big hop charges at the end. I add flameout hops (if there are any), add extract, and go to cooling. On the few occasions I use a bunch of late addition hops, I’ll add extract, bring back to boil, add flameout hops, cool. Both ways seem to work ok.

Some good suggestions already. Had two thoughts: if you’re steeping w/extract, might be tough to pull off a legit Vienna (if you care about being legit); Altbier might be another good hybrid to throw in the mix.

Bungie cord and a scrap of foam. For 10+ degrees drops my fridge will sometimes overshoot by a couple of degrees. I set the temp accordingly, then tweak if necessary. Since this isn’t during fermentation I’m not too fussy about it.

I don't brew much with extract anymore -- my experience with extract is from about 10 years ago. It's possible that extracts are made more fermentable these days. It is also possible that you have been lucky with your selections and I was not so lucky with mine. I know I used to use a lot of John Bull, and that stuff wouldn't ferment for nothing. Maybe get down to 1.020 if I was lucky. Maybe these days it's not such an issue. I guess I really don't know.

I think John Bull was another brand that fit in the less fermentable class. Like Laaglander, it’s also extinct. I also think extract is like a lot of other brewing ingredients, that they now come in more varieties and with higher quality than they did 10 years ago. Dunno, my experience doesn’t go back 10 yrs. Maybe I have been lucky. But I do spread my ingredient purchasing around quite a bit, so I’m feeling luckier than maybe I should be.

. . . . . However, I also know that the various extracts in the market today have different attenuability depending on which manufacturer, i.e., some extracts won't ferment down below 1.018, no matter what you do or how much simple sugar or adjuncts you add or whatever. . . . . .

I'm not sure I get that part. I know there used to be extract brands like Laaglander that were significantly less fermentable than others. But I haven't come accross anything like Laaglander, or any extract that would finish at or near 1.018 if the beer didn't start above 1.076. I find extracts from Briess, Muntons, and a bunch of the online supply houses to predictably fermentable. Have you had fermentability issues with specific brands of extracts?

If you buy extract from your LHBS then it’s quite possible to weigh out whatever amount of LME you want. If you’re ordering online or using imported LME then you’re likely committed to the standard container sizes used by the online source or manufacturer. Extract recipes based on a specific supplier’s packaging tend to reflect this.

LME is less expensive, easy to use in large quantities, available in more varieties and brands, and stales faster. DME is more readily available in smaller quantities, stays fresher longer, stays fresher longer once the package is open, and (to me) is easier/more convenient to use and keep around once the package is opened. For some or all of these reasons recipes tend to specify multiples of standard package weights of LME for the bulk of the fermentables, then build up any remaining fermentables with DME.

For instance an English pale ale recipe will likely suggest an English brand extract like Munton’s, and an ESB may need between two and three 3.3 lb cans of Munton’s LME in a 5 gal batch to provide an OG appropriate for the style. So to achieve that gravity an ESB recipe may specify 6.6 lbs (two cans) of Munton’s LME plus some Munton’s DME to make up the difference. Same thing with online homebrew shops who build recipes/kits based on their LME packaging. For instance the Consecration clone from Morebeer comes with one of their standard sized pouches of LME and a baggie of DME to bump the OG up to where Vinnie says it should be.

Mostly I don’t worry either. But I have one fussy keg with a slight dent in its lip. Sometimes it takes a liberal application of lube, a little magic, and more than a few swear words to get the lid to seal. Afterwards it’s a bugger to clean.

No, those are new to me. Seems like they should work like a charm. I’ll give one a try. Thanks.

FWIW, Amazon has the Haynes CIP low melting point lube mentioned above. In related news, people who have purchased that item from Amazon have also purchased magnetic stir bars and drip trays. Go figure.

Mostly I don’t worry either. But I have one fussy keg with a slight dent in its lip. Sometimes it takes a liberal application of lube, a little magic, and more than a few swear words to get the lid to seal. Afterwards it’s a bugger to clean.